US7008802B2 - Method and apparatus to correct water drift - Google Patents
Method and apparatus to correct water drift Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US7008802B2 US7008802B2 US09/870,393 US87039301A US7008802B2 US 7008802 B2 US7008802 B2 US 7008802B2 US 87039301 A US87039301 A US 87039301A US 7008802 B2 US7008802 B2 US 7008802B2
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- substrate
- sensor
- robot
- wafer
- drift
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime, expires
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/68—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for positioning, orientation or alignment
- H01L21/681—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for positioning, orientation or alignment using optical controlling means
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S414/00—Material or article handling
- Y10S414/135—Associated with semiconductor wafer handling
- Y10S414/136—Associated with semiconductor wafer handling including wafer orienting means
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to correcting positional change (drift) of a workpiece from a nominal position, and more particularly to setting up an apparatus and using the apparatus to detect and correct substrate drift in a semiconductor processing system.
- drift positional change
- a robot is commonly used to transport a substrate, such as a silicon wafer, from one location to another in semiconductor processing equipment. For example, wafers must be transported from a storage cassette and a wafer holder inside the processing chamber.
- the robot includes an end effector to pick up the wafer from the cassette, transfer and place the wafer into the processing chamber and then transfer the wafer back into its storage cassette after processing is complete.
- a typical wafer 10 and a susceptor 12 for holding the wafer within a single-wafer processing chamber are shown in the diagram in FIG. 1 .
- the pocket on the susceptor, into which the wafer fits has a diameter only slightly larger, such as 201 mm.
- There is a very small clearance 14 only 0.5 mm in the illustrated case, between the edge of the wafer 10 and the edge of the susceptor pocket. It is important that the wafer be centered in the pocket and not touch the sidewalls thereof. If the wafer has contact with the sidewalls of the pocket, local temperature changes occur, resulting in temperature gradients across the wafer. This can cause non-uniformity in process results, as most semiconductor processing depends critically on temperature. Similarly, uncentered wafers can be damaged during placement in a number of different handling situations.
- wafer drift Errors in final placement of the wafer, known as “wafer drift,” are due mainly to variations in wafer position in the cassette at pickup, i.e., the end effector attaches to each wafer at a slightly different location. Therefore it is necessary to correct the position of the wafer before it is placed onto the wafer holder.
- a light beam is shone onto a wafer, and sensors detect either a reflected beam or a portion of a transmitted beam when the robot is at a known position. Sensor data is used to determine the wafer position.
- a typical ON/OFF type optical sensor consists of a transmitter and a receiver.
- the transmitter generates an optical ray (which may be within the visible spectrum), which is picked up by a receiver. If the beam is blocked by an object between the transmitter and the receiver, such as a wafer, the output signal state of the sensor changes, for example from OFF to ON.
- Most of these sensors are made with lasers. In systems for measuring wafer position, when a wafer edge crosses the beam path, the sensor state changes and a register is triggered to record the wafer's position.
- the change in sensor state is synchronized with the recording of the wafer position, it is possible to determine the position of the wafer based on the time of wafer state change, the speed of robot movement, and the recording of the robot position.
- the actual wafer position is thus calculated and the subsequent placement operation uses this actual wafer position.
- the accuracy of the optical measurements depends, in part, on how well the position of these optical components are known.
- these systems are positioned using mechanical means, which are not always accurate.
- typical in line wafer centering systems are rather complex and require many sensors accurately positioned.
- the present invention provides a system and method for determining an amount of a workpiece's drift from its intended position and for correcting the same prior to placement at a destination. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for setting up and calibrating an optical system particularly useful for the positioning method.
- a method for accurately positioning a substrate within a semiconductor processing apparatus.
- the method includes loading a reference substrate onto a robot and moving the robot with the reference substrate to a nominal robot position at a positioning station.
- Reference substrate data is recorded from a sensor at the positioning station while the robot is at the nominal robot position.
- a process substrate is loaded onto the robot, and the robot is moved with the process substrate to the nominal robot position at the positioning station.
- Process substrate data is recorded from the sensor, relating to the process substrate at the positioning station. Drift of the process substrate relative to the reference substrate is calculated. In subsequent robot movement of the process substrate, compensation is made for this calculated drift.
- a system for accurately positioning a workpiece during movement thereof.
- the system includes a positioning station that, in turn, includes at least two proportionate sensors aligned parallel to one another. Each sensor produces an output inversely proportional to a sensor beam area blocked by the workpiece.
- the system also includes a computer that instructs a robot to move the workpiece into a position at the positioning station where at least two of the sensors have their sensor beams partially blocked by an edge of the workpiece.
- the computer is additionally programmed to read outputs from the sensors, calculate a positional drift relative to an expected workpiece position, and adjust a robot position to compensate for the positional drift.
- a method for orienting at least one sensor for determining a position of a substrate.
- the method includes placing a sensor within a processing system in an initial orientation.
- the substrate is moved to a plurality of substrate positions and data is collected from the sensor at the plurality of substrate positions.
- the sensor is then adjusted from the initial orientation based upon the data collected by sensor.
- this process is used to ensure that each of a plurality of sensors is aligned parallel to a direction of substrate translation during the orientation process, and thus each of the sensors are aligned parallel to one another.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a 200 mm wafer in place in the pocket of a wafer holder or susceptor in both top and cross-section views.
- FIG. 2A is a plan view of an example of a semiconductor manufacturing tool in which the method of the present invention is employed.
- FIG. 2B is a plan view showing the robot of the semiconductor manufacturing tool, illustrating the end effector positioning parameters R and ⁇ .
- FIG. 2C is an enlarged plan view of one of the cooling stations of FIG. 2A having a centering station established nearby and a robot end effector approaching the centering station with a wafer thereon.
- FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a wafer transfer sequence in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing showing a side view of a proportionate sensor, utilized in the preferred methods, when the laser beam of the transmitter is partially intercepted.
- FIG. 5 is a graph that shows the analog voltage response of the proportionate sensor of FIG. 4 as a function of longitudinal length of laser beam intercepted.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing showing two proportionate sensor systems arranged to detect two points at the front edge of a wafer in a centering station, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a preferred process for setting up the sensor system of FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of aligning the proportionate sensors of FIG. 6 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 9 and 10 are schematic drawings showing two positions of the wafer in two different iterations during the alignment method.
- FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a process of calculating wafer drift and the adjustment for wafer drift.
- FIG. 12 is a schematic drawing showing expected or nominal wafer positions at the centering station and the actual location of a drifted wafer.
- FIG. 2 A An exemplary wafer processing tool is depicted in FIG. 2 A.
- Wafers 210 are transferred by a robot 214 from load lock chambers 220 , 222 .
- the robot 214 includes an end effector 224 , which can take the form a paddle, fork, Bernoulli wand, suction device, gripper, etc.
- the robot 214 is located in a wafer handling or transfer chamber 225 between the load lock chambers 220 , 222 and a process chamber 226 , and includes two end effectors.
- a first end effector comprises a paddle for transfer from or to the cassettes and a second end effector comprises a fork or Bernoulli wand for transfer from or to the hot process chamber.
- Wafers 210 are moved among a wafer support or susceptor 212 (within the process chamber 226 ), cool down stations 216 , 218 and the load lock chambers 220 , 222 in accordance with a preferred order of operations to be described below.
- Wafer processing is conducted on susceptor 212 within reaction chamber 226 .
- Wafer staging (before processing) and cool down (after processing) are conducted at the cool down stations 216 and 218 .
- correction for drift is preferably performed in the wafer handling chamber 225 , between the load lock chambers 220 , 222 and the cool down stations 216 , 218 , preferably near the cool down stations 216 , 218 .
- FIG. 2B shows a schematic view of the robot 214 of this processing tool.
- a wafer 210 is held by the end effector 224 while the robot arm is extended or retracted.
- Parameter R represents the extent of extension/retraction of the end effector 224 relative to a robot origin 228 .
- Parameter ⁇ represents the angle formed by the robot arm as it rotates.
- Another parameter z represents vertical movement (not shown).
- the method and apparatus of this embodiment are described in the context of the preferred robot and coordinate system, illustrating compensation for wafer drift from a nominal wafer position (described below) by adjusting the movement of the wafer along the direction of translation R and the angle of deviation ⁇ .
- the skilled artisan will appreciate, however, that the principles and advantages described herein are readily applicable to alternative coordinate systems.
- FIG. 2C illustrates a preferred location for the sensor system, proximate the cooling station 216 .
- Two proportionate sensor systems 19 are placed in line with the robot movement toward/away from the cooling station 216 , viewed from beneath the wafer 210 .
- a robot is shown approaching a positioning station with the wafer 210 directly in front of and en route to the cooling station 216 .
- both a paddle 224 a and a fork 224 b are shown under the wafer 210 .
- the paddle 224 a is generally employed while transferring the wafer 210 between the load lock chambers 220 , 222 and the cooling stations 216 , 218
- the fork 224 b is employed while transferring between the cooling stations 216 , 218 and the process chamber 226 .
- step 300 the paddle of the robot picks up a raw (unprocessed) wafer from a cassette in one of the load lock chambers 220 , 222 .
- step 305 the wafer is moved through the wafer handling chamber and a wafer centering operation is performed, as shown in step 305 . Centering (or more generally positioning) is described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 11 below.
- the paddle places the centered wafer on the first cool down station 216 , which serves as a staging area in the described sequence.
- the end effector 224 is employed to remove a heated wafer from within the reaction chamber (step 320 ) and moves the wafer to the other cool down station 218 (step 330 ).
- the robot preferably includes two end effectors: one for extending into the cassettes and a second one for reaching into the hot process chamber 226 .
- a paddle is used for centering or positioning in accordance with the present disclosure and for transactions with the cassettes in the load lock chambers, while a fork or a Bernoulli wand is configured for transactions with the susceptor.
- the end effector 224 moves to the first cool down station 216 , where it picks up the raw wafer left by the paddle in step 310 , and then moves the wafer onto the susceptor 212 in the reaction chamber 226 (step 340 ).
- the paddle of the robot then removes the processed wafer from cooling station 218 (step 350 ) and another centering or positioning operation (step 360 ) is performed prior to and placing the wafer in a cassette within the other load lock chamber 220 (step 370 ).
- a cycle has been completed; as at the beginning of the cycle, a wafer is in the reaction chamber.
- the paddle picks up a raw wafer from load-lock 222 (step 300 ), the wafer centering or positioning operation is again performed (step 305 ), and the centered raw wafer is placed on cooling station 216 (step 310 ).
- a centering step is preferably carried out prior to placing the raw wafer on the cool down or staging station 216 .
- the sensors used in the centering step are preferably placed in the vicinity of cool down station 216 .
- Another set of sensors can also be placed at the other cool down station 218 for centering prior to taking a processed wafer back to the load lock cassettes.
- the centering step may be conducted at other locations.
- the centering operation may be conducted in other process tools and at other stages of a processing sequence. For example, centering may be conducted just prior to placing the wafer into the reaction chamber. In a batch processing system, centering may be useful during loading of a wafer boat prior to processing. The details of the placement and orientation of the sensors in the exemplary reaction chamber are described below.
- FIG. 4 shows an exemplary proportionate sensor 19 for use in the drift calculation and compensation method.
- Such proportionate sensors are available from companies such as Keyence Corp of Japan, LMI of Canada, Panasonic of Japan, etc., and can be referred to as laser through beam sensor (LTBS) systems.
- Each sensor 19 includes a transmitter 20 and a receiver 22 .
- the transmitter 20 includes a laser which shines a ribbon-like beam 24
- the receiver sensor 22 produces a voltage characteristic of the amount of light 26 that reaches it.
- the voltage response is linear and inversely proportional to the area of the laser beam 24 that is blocked by the edge of a workpiece 30 , such as the silicon wafer shown in FIG. 6 .
- the voltage measurements and various known constants are then used in the preferred positioning operation to calculate the position of the wafer, described below with respect to FIG. 11 .
- the present embodiment employs LX2-10 sensors produced by Keyence Corp., which have dimensions of 10 mm by 1 mm; however, this is only an example, and proportionate sensors of different sizes may be employed.
- FIG. 5 shows the voltage response of the receiver sensor as a function of the area of the laser beam blocked by the wafer.
- the area is proportionate to the length of the beam blocked, and the effect of a non-perpendicular object edge (such as a round wafer) intercepting a different area than a perpendicular edge is ignored. Accordingly, the lateral width of the beam is ignored for purposes of the calculations herein.
- the sensor gives its maximum voltage output (5 volts for the exemplary sensor). The voltage decreases linearly as the laser beam interception increases. When the beam is completely blocked and no light reaches the receiver, the voltage is zero.
- an output of 0 indicates that the entire beam is eclipsed; an output of 5 indicates that the edge has not intercepted the beam; an output of 2.5 volts (half the maximum output) indicates that the edge is located 5 mm (half the beam length) from the front end of the beam; an output of 3.0 volts indicates that the edge is located 6 mm from the front end of the beam; etc.
- Each sensor 19 comprises a transmitter 20 that transmits a ribbon-like laser beam 24 in the direction of a receiver 22 .
- the laser beam is oriented with its long dimension (10 mm in the illustrated embodiment) along a longitudinal direction 28 , which coincides with the desired line of robot translation in normal operation. As discussed below, the robot can deviate from this translation direction during operation.
- the two sensors 19 are installed such that the edge of a silicon wafer 30 at a wafer centering station partially intercepts the laser beams 24 at some point along the wafer trajectory while carried by the robot end effector. At that point, only unblocked portions 26 of the transmitted laser beams 24 reach the receivers 22 .
- the centering or positioning mechanism uses the readings of the sensors 19 , compares these readings to readings expected if the wafer 30 had been properly positioned on the robot end effector, and the difference is used to adjust the wafer position prior to placement at its next destination.
- the preferred position drift calculation and adjustment process is discussed below in more detail with respect to FIG. 11 .
- the positioning method described herein is, its accuracy is based on an important assumption, that the axes of two optical sensors are parallel to each other and to the robot's translation axis.
- These sensors can installed on the tool housing using mechanical fixtures to make the planes of cases housing each LTBS system parallel to one another and to a best guess for the translation axis of the robot.
- the present invention provides a method of simply and accurately ensuring that the long axes of the laser beams and the normal translation direction of the wafer robot are all parallel using the sensors themselves.
- FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a set-up process for calibrating the robot, including a step of aligning the sensors.
- a reference wafer is used to establish the nominal positions of the susceptor, the centering station (nominal ⁇ and z positions only), the cool down stations, load lock cassettes and any other position that the system needs.
- the reference wafer is manually placed 400 at the center of the susceptor (which has already been properly positioned) within the process chamber. When the reference wafer is picked up by the robot, it is properly centered upon the end effector, such that the positions to which it is moved are nominal positions.
- the wafer is then moved 410 by the robot to each of the cool down or staging stations, the centering station and each of the load lock cassettes. The positions are recorded as nominal positions within the chosen coordinate system.
- the sensor alignment process 420 is then conducted. This alignment process 420 is shown in more detail in FIG. 8 for one of the sensors.
- FIG. 8 is a flow chart that describes a preferred alignment method for aligning a proportionate sensor so that its longitudinal axis is parallel to the direction of robot translation.
- each sensor 19 is referred to as a laser through beam sensor (LTBS) system.
- the general translation direction of the robot is determined.
- the sensor system is installed so that the longitudinal direction of the ribbon-like beam is roughly parallel to the translation direction, by an eyeball approximation.
- the end effector of the robot picks up 500 a reference wafer, which is also used in determining the nominal positions for the larger process of FIG. 7 .
- the robot moves the wafer to a first position, p 1 , where the leading edge of the wafer intercepts a rear portion of the laser beam, and the receiver sensor measures a voltage ⁇ 1 .
- the robot moves 520 the wafer until the trailing edge of the wafer intercepts the laser beam so that the trailing edge of the wafer is at the same position as the front edge of the wafer was in the first position p 1 . Accordingly, the front portion of the beam is blocked.
- the front portion eclipsed should be the difference between the total beam area and the eclipsed by the wafer at the first position p 1 .
- the distance (change in R) that the robot has moved to reach this second position, p 1 ′, is recorded.
- the distance traveled in this iteration is referred to as (p 1 ⁇ p 1 ′).
- This sequence of movements in steps 510 and 520 is repeated for at least a second iteration, wherein the wafer is moved 530 to a position p 2 different from p 1 , and voltage ⁇ 2 , is determined.
- Two such iterations, showing positions, p 1 , p 1 ′ and p 2 , p 2 ′, are shown in the schematic plan views of FIGS. 9 and 10 , respectively. At least these two iterations are performed. While only two iterations are shown in FIG. 8 , preferably at least three, and more preferably five such iterations are performed before the determination is made that the sensor is parallel to the direction of robot translation.
- the measured distance (p 1 ⁇ p 1 ′) should be the same for each iteration i.
- any function that depends upon this measured distance can be used to determine whether the sensor is parallel to the direction of robot translation.
- the term ⁇ i is calculated and compared for each iteration i because ⁇ is a measure of the lateral spacing of the sensors that will be used in the preferred calculations of the wafer position during operation. This can be seen in the FIGS. 9 and 10 . If ⁇ i is approximately equal for each iteration i, then the sensor is determined to be parallel to the direction of robot translation.
- the parameters is proportional to the distance between the line indicating the robot translation path and the longitudinal line of the laser beam at the point, p 1 .
- ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 are equal, the laser beam longitude is parallel to the robot translation direction.
- the predetermined tolerance is ⁇ 0.05 mm, more preferably ⁇ 0.005 mm (shown in FIG. 8 ). If the answer is yes, the LTBS system is determined to be properly aligned 580 . More preferably, five iterations are performed and determined to result in the same value of ⁇ for each iterations. If the answer is no, it is necessary to rotate 590 the LTBS system incrementally and repeat the procedure starting at step 510 .
- the example outlined in the foregoing discussion and in FIG. 8 is given as an illustration of the current invention and is not meant to limit it in any way.
- this method can be adapted for other substrates of other type and shape. Additional iterations of the alignment steps can be performed to increase the number of sampled points along the laser beam, and, therefore, further increase the accuracy of the alignment.
- the method can be used in systems with multiple sensors.
- a nominal centering position is next defined 430 where the centering operation will be initiated during operation.
- the reference wafer is used to define a position of the robot at the centering station where the reference wafer partially intercepts both of the sensors.
- the wafer is advanced along the appropriate robot translation axis so that the leading edge portion of the reference wafer partially eclipses or intercepts both of the sensors simultaneously at a selected wafer position (hereinbelow the “nominal centering” or “nominal robot” position).
- the nominal centering position is the position to which the robot is initially advanced during a drift determination operation.
- the nominal centering position, at which both sensors are only partially blocked by the reference wafer, may be obtained via an iterative process.
- the robot may be used to move the reference wafer to a predetermined position at the centering station. If both sensors are unblocked at the predetermined point, the robot may be incrementally advanced (R increased) in the translation direction. If both sensors are completely blocked, the robot may be withdrawn along the line of translation. These steps may be repeated until both sensors are simultaneously partially blocked by the wafer.
- the two sensors are blocked to the same degree.
- the left sensor may output 2.0 V, while the right sensor outputs 3.0 V, due to imperfect installation of the sensor systems.
- the voltages obtained at this nominal centering position are used as reference voltages V ref for each sensor, which will later be employed in the calculation of wafer drift, while the position of the robot is used as the nominal centering position in the later assessment of wafer drift during operation.
- the nominal centering position is preferably selected such that 0.5 V ⁇ V ref ⁇ 4.5 V. More preferably, the nominal centering position is such that 2.0 V ⁇ V ref ⁇ 3.0 V for each sensor.
- the reference wafer edge intercepts each sensor near the center of the sensor length, such that V ref is close to 2.5 V, because such a nominal centering position results in a greater likelihood that slightly decentered wafers will partially eclipse both sensors during operation. At this point, V ref is close to 2.5 V.
- the reference voltages represent the location that the wafer edge is expected to intercept the sensor when the wafer is in the “nominal wafer position” at which the wafer is properly centered upon the end effector.
- the sensors are parallel but longitudinally offset by too great an amount.
- the sensors are reset and the process of FIG. 8 repeated to align the sensors parallel to the direction of translation. Note that similar a positioning process conducted before the alignment process of FIG. 11 can incrementally change the ⁇ position of the robot in order to locate the roughly installed sensors relative to the robot coordinate system.
- the wafer may optionally then be advanced to a second nominal centering position at which the two sensors are simultaneously and partially blocked by the trailing edge portion of the reference wafer.
- An iterative process similar to that described above may be employed to obtain the second nominal wafer position.
- This position and the reference voltages obtained from the sensors may also be used in the later assessment of wafer drift during operation. It will be understood that, in operation, either the front edge of the wafer or the trailing edge or both can be used to determine wafer drift.
- initial setup also includes determining where the reference wafer is located when positioned at the nominal centering position. This can be done by calculating or determining 440 a parameter g, which represents the value of R for the center of the reference wafer at the nominal centering position. Because the selected manner of calculating g employs a calculation of intentionally induced wafer drift, the description of g calculation is deferred to follow description of drift calculation as used in operation.
- the device has been fully calibrated once the steps of assessing sensor alignment and obtaining nominal centering position and reference voltages described above have been completed.
- the device may now be used to assess the drift of objects from the nominal position during operation, such as wafers removed from the load lock cassettes to be processed in the reactor.
- the robot transfers a wafer to be processed from one load lock cassette to the centering station.
- the robot is moved 600 to the nominal centering position.
- the leading edge of the wafer should partially block or intercept both of the sensors.
- the robot can be iteratively moved 615 , until both sensors are partially eclipsed by the wafer.
- These iterative movements 615 performed to ensure that the drifted wafer intercepts both sensors, are referred to herein as a “dance.” Note that the iterative movements can include advancement, retraction or rotation. During operation, it is no longer important that wafer be moved parallel to the sensors.
- both sensors are partially blocked at the nominal centering position (return a value between 0.1 V and 4.9 V) then it is possible to assess the drift of the wafer from the nominal position.
- the voltage output V L and V R are read 620 . If the wafer has drifted from the expected or nominal wafer position upon the robot end effector, the sensors indicated a deviation from the V ref recorded for each sensor. Since the wafer geometry is known to be the same as that of the reference wafer, this deviation can be used to calculate the linear distance that the wafer has drifted from the nominal wafer position, and this drift can be compensated by moving the robot such that the wafer is placed in a manner to compensate for the drift. The skilled artisan will appreciate a number of ways in which this drift and compensating movements can be calculated. The formulas given below are merely exemplary.
- ⁇ L and ⁇ R represent the linear deviations from the nominal wafer position, as measured longitudinally along the sensors (see FIG. 12 ).
- l max and l min represent maximum and minimum sensor laser beam lengths left unblocked by the wafer
- V max and V min represent the output value of the sensors when l max and l min are left unblocked
- V ref indicates the sensor output value when the reference wafer is at the nominal wafer position while the robot is at its nominal centering position
- V indicates the sensor output value when the process wafer is at the nominal wafer position and the sensor is thus partially blocked.
- l max 10 mm
- l min 0 mm
- V max 5 V
- This linear deviation of the wafer edge intercepts with the sensors is then used to calculate 640 the positional drift of the wafer.
- the drift is represented by parameters (x 1 , y 1 ).
- the calculated x value represents wafer drift, relative to the nominal wafer position (reference wafer), in the lateral direction, perpendicular to the direction of robot translation.
- the calculated y value represents wafer drift, relative to the nominal wafer position (reference wafer), in the longitudinal direction, along the direction of robot translation.
- FIG. 12 illustrates a decentered wafer in a dotted line, and the nominal (expected) wafer position in a solid line.
- x represents the indicated wafer lateral position error
- y represents the indicated wafer extensional position error.
- part of the initial setup process is determining 440 where the wafer is actually, relative to the coordinate system of choice, at the centering station. This need only be done once, using the reference wafer, during setup, and is thus not part of the drift calculation process of FIG. 11 . Having described the drift calculation, the determination 440 of g can be better understood.
- the parameter g represents the distance between the reference wafer in the nominal centering position and the coordinate system origin (pivot of rotation of the robot). This is measured/calculated because the robot parameter R, which is presumed known at all times, is measured relative to the tip of the end effector and not to a centered wafer position.
- the parameter g is preferably obtained in the following manner.
- the reference wafer is placed at the centering station and is rotated through a small angle ⁇ with respect to the position of the robot. This small rotation creates an artificial drift that can be calculated as described above for the calculation of wafer drift during operation.
- the value of lateral induced drift x g is then obtained using the equations for s and x above.
- the wafer to be processed may instead or additionally be advanced to the second nominal centering position, at which the sensor voltages are recorded.
- the device determines the values x 2 and y 2 using the sensor voltages obtained at the trailing edge of the wafer in the manner described above, except that, in the equations employed, f L and f R need to be exchanged, ⁇ L and ⁇ R need to be exchanged, and the sign of ⁇ L , ⁇ R , and y needs to be changed, because of the geometry of the round wafer.
- the drift of the wafer calculated using the trailing-edge values is represented by (x 2 , Y 2 ). If both leading edge and trailing edge data are collected, the measured drifts at both edges can be compared. The calculated drift should at least approximately coincide. If this is the case, (x 1 , y 1 ) and (x 2 , y 2 ) may be optionally averaged, and the resulting (x avg , y avg ) may be used as the measure of wafer drift. If only the trailing edge data is employed, the wafer drift is taken as (x 2 , Y 2 ).
- the robot may be adjusted so as to compensate for the drift and accurately position the wafer for later processing.
- adjustments to the robot path are calculated 650 .
- these adjustments take the form of adjustments to the robot position parmeters R and ⁇ , as indicated by the formulae below.
- the formulae below assume the adjustment is performed at the centering station using the g parameter that indicates position of the wafer, as discussed above.
- the g parameter used is that calculated using data obtained at the first nominal centering position (using the wafer front edge), while when (x 2 , y 2 ) is employed as the wafer drift parameters, the g parameter used is that calculated using data obtained at the second nominal centering position (using the wafer trailing edge).
- the g parameter is also averaged. ⁇ R indicates the compensating change along the translation axis, while ⁇ indicates the compensating change in angular position.
- x may represent either x 1 or x 2
- y may represent either y 1 or y 2 , or these may be averaged values.
- g may represent g 1 , g 2 , or an averaged g value g avg .
- R d and ⁇ d represent changes to the robot position incurred during a “dance” to ensure interception of a drifted wafer's edge with both sensors.
- Correction of drift may alternatively be performed at the centering station or at any other location.
- An example thereof is adjustment at to staging or cool down station just before wafer drop-off.
- For drift compensation at a location other than the centering station it is determined how far the robot has extended or retracted (change in R) from position g. This extension or retraction is represented by the value ⁇ .
- the compensation parameters ⁇ R and ⁇ at this extended/retracted position are calculated by substituting (g+ ⁇ ) for g in the above equations.
- One advantage of the method of wafer sensor alignment is that the approach has been derived and proven rigorously in mathematics and is not empirical. The calculation requires only a minimum number of independent variables that are easy to measure accurately, ensuring that the result is accurate.
- the method is reliable. It does not require complicated software or complicated mechanical adjustments.
- the hardware is all commercially available, inexpensive, compact and easy to install.
- the method is flexible because drift is detected and corrected by comparison to a designated reference wafer, rather than absolute wafer position measurements which are heavily reliant upon the robot, its position and its spatial relation to fixtures in the tool.
- the method does not require any particular transport robot; nor any real-time signal acquisition. Existing wafer processing equipment can be easily retrofitted with the system.
- the system can be scaled to different wafer sizes and can be used in applications requiring the sorting of wafers or aligning of wafers according to flat or notch orientation.
- the system could also be used to detect the roundness of a wafer or the dimensions of a wafer, such as its diameter.
- the system described herein can be arranged to accommodate wafers with notches or flats at the front edge or trailing edge of the wafer. If a notch or flat is at the front edge, the trailing edge of the wafer can be used in determining wafer drift. If the notch or flat is at the trailing edge of the wafer, the front edge of the wafer can be used in determining drift.
- the wafers are arranged such that neither the notch nor flat interferes with either the front or trailing edge when properly oriented. If the notch or flat does interfere with calculation, then the wafer is misoriented. The wafer is therefore preferably returned to the cassette from which it came and is not further processed.
- the device can also determine that the wafer is misoriented; for example, a misoriented flat or notch may have been sensed.
- wafers normally have one flat or notch.
- the flat or notch may be present in the sensor path.
- both leading edge and trailing edge data are collected, the measured drifts at both edges can be compared.
- the calculated drift should at least approximately coincide.
- (x 1 , y 1 ) and (x 2 , y 2 ) will be considerably different.
- the difference between (x 1 , y 1 ) and (x 2 , y 2 ) is within a specified range (for example, less than about 0.5 mm) then no flat or notch was sensed.
Abstract
Description
for i={1,2} as represented by
Here, lmax and lmin represent maximum and minimum sensor laser beam lengths left unblocked by the wafer, Vmax and Vmin represent the output value of the sensors when lmax and lmin are left unblocked, Vref indicates the sensor output value when the reference wafer is at the nominal wafer position while the robot is at its nominal centering position, and V indicates the sensor output value when the process wafer is at the nominal wafer position and the sensor is thus partially blocked. For the illustrated embodiment, lmax=10 mm, lmin=0 mm, Vmax=5 V, and Vmin=0, so that
Δ=2(V ref −V)
Here, fL and fR are obtained during the calibration, d represents the wafer diameter, and ΔL and ΔR are the linear deviation at the sensors, as derived from the measured voltage deviations. The calculated x value represents wafer drift, relative to the nominal wafer position (reference wafer), in the lateral direction, perpendicular to the direction of robot translation. The calculated y value represents wafer drift, relative to the nominal wafer position (reference wafer), in the longitudinal direction, along the direction of robot translation.
Note that this value of g may be obtained either at the first or second nominal wafer position, and this difference may be represented by g1 and g2; in correcting the drift, the g value employed should match position at which the data relating to the process wafer were obtained. For better accuracy and precision, this procedure can be repeated for different values of θ.
Calculation of Wafer Drift Using Trailing Edge Sensor Data
ΔR=g−√{square root over (x 2 +(g+y) 2 )} −R d
Claims (45)
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/870,393 US7008802B2 (en) | 2001-05-29 | 2001-05-29 | Method and apparatus to correct water drift |
PCT/US2002/016715 WO2002097869A2 (en) | 2001-05-29 | 2002-05-28 | Method and apparatus to correct wafer drift |
TW091111326A TW564511B (en) | 2001-05-29 | 2002-05-28 | Method and apparatus to correct wafer drift |
AU2002303885A AU2002303885A1 (en) | 2001-05-29 | 2002-05-28 | Method and apparatus to correct wafer drift |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/870,393 US7008802B2 (en) | 2001-05-29 | 2001-05-29 | Method and apparatus to correct water drift |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20040151574A1 US20040151574A1 (en) | 2004-08-05 |
US7008802B2 true US7008802B2 (en) | 2006-03-07 |
Family
ID=25355285
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/870,393 Expired - Lifetime US7008802B2 (en) | 2001-05-29 | 2001-05-29 | Method and apparatus to correct water drift |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US7008802B2 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2002303885A1 (en) |
TW (1) | TW564511B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2002097869A2 (en) |
Cited By (24)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040168633A1 (en) * | 2003-02-27 | 2004-09-02 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method |
US20040258514A1 (en) * | 2002-06-12 | 2004-12-23 | Ivo Raaijmakers | Semiconductor wafer position shift measurement and correction |
US20050246915A1 (en) * | 2004-05-05 | 2005-11-10 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Method for calibrating alignment mark positions on substrates |
US20080289574A1 (en) * | 2007-05-24 | 2008-11-27 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20080319559A1 (en) * | 2007-06-22 | 2008-12-25 | De Ridder Christianus Gerardus | Apparatus and method for transferring two or more wafers whereby the positions of the wafers can be measured |
US20090070634A1 (en) * | 2007-09-06 | 2009-03-12 | Asm International N.V. | System and method for automated customizable error diagnostics |
US20090093906A1 (en) * | 2007-10-04 | 2009-04-09 | Asm Japan K.K. | Position sensor system for substrate transfer robot |
US20090155452A1 (en) * | 2007-12-13 | 2009-06-18 | Asm Genitech Korea Ltd. | Thin film deposition apparatus and method thereof |
US20090159000A1 (en) * | 2007-12-20 | 2009-06-25 | Asm America, Inc. | Redundant temperature sensor for semiconductor processing chambers |
US20090217871A1 (en) * | 2008-02-28 | 2009-09-03 | Asm Genitech Korea Ltd. | Thin film deposition apparatus and method of maintaining the same |
US20090252580A1 (en) * | 2008-04-03 | 2009-10-08 | Asm Japan K.K. | Wafer processing apparatus with wafer alignment device |
US20090308425A1 (en) * | 2008-06-17 | 2009-12-17 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20100145547A1 (en) * | 2008-12-08 | 2010-06-10 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20100158644A1 (en) * | 2008-12-22 | 2010-06-24 | Asm Japan K.K. | Semiconductor-processing apparatus equipped with robot diagnostic module |
US20100282163A1 (en) * | 2009-05-06 | 2010-11-11 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple assembly with guarded thermocouple junction |
US20100284438A1 (en) * | 2009-05-06 | 2010-11-11 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20130141711A1 (en) * | 2011-12-02 | 2013-06-06 | K-Space Associates, Inc. | Non-contact, optical sensor for synchronizing to free rotating sample platens with asymmetry |
USD702188S1 (en) | 2013-03-08 | 2014-04-08 | Asm Ip Holding B.V. | Thermocouple |
US20140303776A1 (en) * | 2013-04-05 | 2014-10-09 | Sigenic Pte Ltd | Apparatus And Method For Detecting Position Drift In A Machine Operation Using A Robot Arm |
US9196518B1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2015-11-24 | Persimmon Technologies, Corp. | Adaptive placement system and method |
US9297705B2 (en) | 2009-05-06 | 2016-03-29 | Asm America, Inc. | Smart temperature measuring device |
US10002781B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2018-06-19 | Brooks Automation, Inc. | Tool auto-teach method and apparatus |
US10058996B2 (en) | 2014-11-18 | 2018-08-28 | Persimmon Technologies Corporation | Robot adaptive placement system with end-effector position estimation |
WO2020096864A1 (en) * | 2018-11-05 | 2020-05-14 | Lam Research Corporation | Enhanced automatic wafer centering system and techniques for same |
Families Citing this family (30)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7792350B2 (en) * | 2003-11-10 | 2010-09-07 | Brooks Automation, Inc. | Wafer center finding |
US7458763B2 (en) | 2003-11-10 | 2008-12-02 | Blueshift Technologies, Inc. | Mid-entry load lock for semiconductor handling system |
US20070269297A1 (en) | 2003-11-10 | 2007-11-22 | Meulen Peter V D | Semiconductor wafer handling and transport |
US10086511B2 (en) | 2003-11-10 | 2018-10-02 | Brooks Automation, Inc. | Semiconductor manufacturing systems |
US8634633B2 (en) | 2003-11-10 | 2014-01-21 | Brooks Automation, Inc. | Wafer center finding with kalman filter |
US7352440B2 (en) | 2004-12-10 | 2008-04-01 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Substrate placement in immersion lithography |
JP4963469B2 (en) * | 2005-06-24 | 2012-06-27 | 株式会社アルバック | Position correction device and position correction method |
JP4809478B2 (en) * | 2007-06-19 | 2011-11-09 | 株式会社アルバック | Substrate transfer method |
KR101321618B1 (en) * | 2007-09-13 | 2013-10-23 | 가부시키가이샤 야스카와덴키 | Transfer robot and control method thereof |
US9002514B2 (en) | 2007-11-30 | 2015-04-07 | Novellus Systems, Inc. | Wafer position correction with a dual, side-by-side wafer transfer robot |
US8060252B2 (en) | 2007-11-30 | 2011-11-15 | Novellus Systems, Inc. | High throughput method of in transit wafer position correction in system using multiple robots |
US8430620B1 (en) | 2008-03-24 | 2013-04-30 | Novellus Systems, Inc. | Dedicated hot and cold end effectors for improved throughput |
US7750819B2 (en) * | 2008-04-07 | 2010-07-06 | Tech Semiconductor Singapore Pte Ltd | Real-time detection of wafer shift/slide in a chamber |
US9245783B2 (en) | 2013-05-24 | 2016-01-26 | Novellus Systems, Inc. | Vacuum robot with linear translation carriage |
WO2014207299A1 (en) * | 2013-06-25 | 2014-12-31 | Tekno-Ants Oy | Method and guidance system for use of robot |
US9287151B2 (en) * | 2014-01-10 | 2016-03-15 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd | Systems and method for transferring a semiconductor substrate |
JP6422695B2 (en) * | 2014-07-18 | 2018-11-14 | 株式会社Screenホールディングス | Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method |
CN106158715B (en) * | 2015-04-24 | 2021-04-02 | 上海微电子装备(集团)股份有限公司 | Pre-alignment device and method for wafer |
US9966290B2 (en) * | 2015-07-30 | 2018-05-08 | Lam Research Corporation | System and method for wafer alignment and centering with CCD camera and robot |
CN106409741B (en) * | 2015-07-30 | 2022-04-19 | 朗姆研究公司 | Position measurement based on visible wafer notch |
KR102181121B1 (en) * | 2016-09-20 | 2020-11-20 | 주식회사 원익아이피에스 | Substrate transfer apparatus and control method of substrate transfer apparatus |
JP6902872B2 (en) * | 2017-01-10 | 2021-07-14 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Board processing system and board processing method |
JP6862903B2 (en) * | 2017-02-23 | 2021-04-21 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Board transfer device, board transfer method and storage medium |
US10861723B2 (en) * | 2017-08-08 | 2020-12-08 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | EFEM robot auto teaching methodology |
US10790237B2 (en) * | 2018-09-14 | 2020-09-29 | Lam Research Corporation | Fiducial-filtering automatic wafer centering process and associated system |
KR20210039523A (en) * | 2019-10-01 | 2021-04-12 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Apparatus for transferring wafer and method for transferring wafer using the same |
TWI747151B (en) * | 2020-02-04 | 2021-11-21 | 達奈美克股份有限公司 | Robot manipulator motion compensation method |
US20210375654A1 (en) * | 2020-05-26 | 2021-12-02 | Asm Ip Holding B.V. | Automatic system calibration for wafer handling |
CN111726611B (en) * | 2020-06-30 | 2022-04-01 | 盛泰光电科技股份有限公司 | Rotating disc type camera module detection system |
CN112509964B (en) * | 2021-02-05 | 2021-05-18 | 宁波润华全芯微电子设备有限公司 | Clamping structure for cleaning based on Internet of things |
Citations (55)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3907439A (en) | 1973-08-14 | 1975-09-23 | Zygo Corp | Edge-sensing with a scanning laser beam |
US3945505A (en) | 1974-07-08 | 1976-03-23 | Motorola, Inc. | Indexing apparatus |
US4024944A (en) | 1975-12-24 | 1977-05-24 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Semiconductor slice prealignment system |
US4148344A (en) | 1975-10-20 | 1979-04-10 | The Pack River Company | Portable sawmill |
US4201378A (en) | 1978-05-16 | 1980-05-06 | Bell & Howell Company | Skew detector |
US4228886A (en) | 1978-12-26 | 1980-10-21 | Ppg Industries, Inc. | Position sensor |
JPS5855270A (en) | 1981-09-30 | 1983-04-01 | Hitachi Ltd | Control system for writing mode of printer with inserter |
US4449885A (en) | 1982-05-24 | 1984-05-22 | Varian Associates, Inc. | Wafer transfer system |
US4457664A (en) | 1982-03-22 | 1984-07-03 | Ade Corporation | Wafer alignment station |
US4466073A (en) | 1982-04-26 | 1984-08-14 | The Perkin Elmer Corporation | Wafer prealigner using pulsed vacuum spinners |
US4507078A (en) | 1983-03-28 | 1985-03-26 | Silicon Valley Group, Inc. | Wafer handling apparatus and method |
US4523985A (en) | 1983-12-22 | 1985-06-18 | Sputtered Films, Inc. | Wafer processing machine |
US4559451A (en) | 1981-11-13 | 1985-12-17 | De La Rue Systems Limited | Apparatus for determining with high resolution the position of edges of a web |
JPS6187352A (en) | 1985-09-27 | 1986-05-02 | Hitachi Ltd | Positioning device for orientation flat |
JPS61184842A (en) | 1985-02-13 | 1986-08-18 | Canon Inc | Device for positioning wafer |
JPS61228639A (en) | 1985-04-03 | 1986-10-11 | Canon Inc | Wafer processing apparatus |
US4635373A (en) | 1984-09-07 | 1987-01-13 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Wafer conveying apparatus with alignment mechanism |
US4647268A (en) | 1976-11-16 | 1987-03-03 | Emag Maschinenfabrik Gmbh | Part handling device |
JPS6273643A (en) | 1985-09-26 | 1987-04-04 | Ando Electric Co Ltd | Mechanism for aligning wafer on moving table |
US4698511A (en) | 1984-11-08 | 1987-10-06 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Document sheet size or position recognition device |
US4705951A (en) | 1986-04-17 | 1987-11-10 | Varian Associates, Inc. | Wafer processing system |
US4720635A (en) | 1984-12-17 | 1988-01-19 | Disco Abrasive Systems, Ltd. | Automatic accurate alignment system |
US4744713A (en) | 1986-05-21 | 1988-05-17 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Misalignment sensor for a wafer feeder assembly |
US4765793A (en) | 1986-02-03 | 1988-08-23 | Proconics International, Inc. | Apparatus for aligning circular objects |
US4770590A (en) | 1986-05-16 | 1988-09-13 | Silicon Valley Group, Inc. | Method and apparatus for transferring wafers between cassettes and a boat |
EP0282233A1 (en) | 1987-03-07 | 1988-09-14 | Britax Limited | Hydraulic manual control unit |
US4789294A (en) | 1985-08-30 | 1988-12-06 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Wafer handling apparatus and method |
US4818169A (en) | 1985-05-17 | 1989-04-04 | Schram Richard R | Automated wafer inspection system |
US4819167A (en) | 1987-04-20 | 1989-04-04 | Applied Materials, Inc. | System and method for detecting the center of an integrated circuit wafer |
EP0313466A2 (en) | 1987-10-20 | 1989-04-26 | Fujitsu Limited | Wafer positioning apparatus |
US4833790A (en) | 1987-05-11 | 1989-05-30 | Lam Research | Method and system for locating and positioning circular workpieces |
US4838733A (en) | 1988-12-05 | 1989-06-13 | Katz Albert A | Landfill compaction |
US4880348A (en) | 1987-05-15 | 1989-11-14 | Roboptek, Inc. | Wafer centration device |
US4907035A (en) | 1984-03-30 | 1990-03-06 | The Perkin-Elmer Corporation | Universal edged-based wafer alignment apparatus |
US5044752A (en) | 1989-06-30 | 1991-09-03 | General Signal Corporation | Apparatus and process for positioning wafers in receiving devices |
US5162642A (en) | 1985-11-18 | 1992-11-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Device for detecting the position of a surface |
US5194743A (en) | 1990-04-06 | 1993-03-16 | Nikon Corporation | Device for positioning circular semiconductor wafers |
US5239182A (en) | 1991-04-19 | 1993-08-24 | Tokyo Electron Saga Kabushiki Kaisha | Wafer conveyor apparatus and method for detecting inclination of wafer inside cassette |
EP0597637A1 (en) | 1992-11-12 | 1994-05-18 | Applied Materials, Inc. | System and method for automated positioning of a substrate in a processing chamber |
US5563798A (en) | 1994-04-05 | 1996-10-08 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Wafer positioning system |
US5706201A (en) | 1996-05-07 | 1998-01-06 | Fortrend Engineering Corporation | Software to determine the position of the center of a wafer |
US5706930A (en) | 1995-04-24 | 1998-01-13 | Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. | Method of and apparatus for transferring circular object |
US5768125A (en) | 1995-12-08 | 1998-06-16 | Asm International N.V. | Apparatus for transferring a substantially circular article |
US5822213A (en) | 1996-03-29 | 1998-10-13 | Lam Research Corporation | Method and apparatus for determining the center and orientation of a wafer-like object |
US5870488A (en) | 1996-05-07 | 1999-02-09 | Fortrend Engineering Corporation | Method and apparatus for prealigning wafers in a wafer sorting system |
US5900737A (en) | 1993-09-15 | 1999-05-04 | Intest Corporation | Method and apparatus for automated docking of a test head to a device handler |
US5905850A (en) | 1996-06-28 | 1999-05-18 | Lam Research Corporation | Method and apparatus for positioning substrates |
US5917601A (en) | 1996-12-02 | 1999-06-29 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho | Position difference detecting device and method thereof |
WO1999052686A1 (en) | 1998-04-16 | 1999-10-21 | Genmark Automation, Inc. | Substrate prealigner |
US5980194A (en) | 1996-07-15 | 1999-11-09 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Wafer position error detection and correction system |
JPH11347975A (en) | 1998-06-05 | 1999-12-21 | Systemseiko Co Ltd | Method and device for automatic teaching |
US6198976B1 (en) | 1998-03-04 | 2001-03-06 | Applied Materials, Inc. | On the fly center-finding during substrate handling in a processing system |
US6327517B1 (en) | 2000-07-27 | 2001-12-04 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Apparatus for on-the-fly center finding and notch aligning for wafer handling robots |
US6502054B1 (en) * | 1999-11-22 | 2002-12-31 | Lam Research Corporation | Method of and apparatus for dynamic alignment of substrates |
US6690986B1 (en) * | 1999-04-19 | 2004-02-10 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Method of detecting the position of a wafer |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4201376A (en) * | 1978-12-26 | 1980-05-06 | Philips Kochukadamthotil V | Adjustable clamp for V-block |
US4647266A (en) * | 1979-12-21 | 1987-03-03 | Varian Associates, Inc. | Wafer coating system |
US4836733A (en) * | 1986-04-28 | 1989-06-06 | Varian Associates, Inc. | Wafer transfer system |
US4789284A (en) * | 1987-11-05 | 1988-12-06 | White Scott A | Self-cutting expansion anchor |
-
2001
- 2001-05-29 US US09/870,393 patent/US7008802B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2002
- 2002-05-28 TW TW091111326A patent/TW564511B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2002-05-28 AU AU2002303885A patent/AU2002303885A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2002-05-28 WO PCT/US2002/016715 patent/WO2002097869A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (58)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3907439A (en) | 1973-08-14 | 1975-09-23 | Zygo Corp | Edge-sensing with a scanning laser beam |
US3945505A (en) | 1974-07-08 | 1976-03-23 | Motorola, Inc. | Indexing apparatus |
US4148344A (en) | 1975-10-20 | 1979-04-10 | The Pack River Company | Portable sawmill |
US4024944A (en) | 1975-12-24 | 1977-05-24 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Semiconductor slice prealignment system |
US4647268A (en) | 1976-11-16 | 1987-03-03 | Emag Maschinenfabrik Gmbh | Part handling device |
US4201378A (en) | 1978-05-16 | 1980-05-06 | Bell & Howell Company | Skew detector |
US4228886A (en) | 1978-12-26 | 1980-10-21 | Ppg Industries, Inc. | Position sensor |
JPS5855270A (en) | 1981-09-30 | 1983-04-01 | Hitachi Ltd | Control system for writing mode of printer with inserter |
US4559451A (en) | 1981-11-13 | 1985-12-17 | De La Rue Systems Limited | Apparatus for determining with high resolution the position of edges of a web |
US4457664B1 (en) | 1982-03-22 | 1993-08-24 | Ade Corp | |
US4457664A (en) | 1982-03-22 | 1984-07-03 | Ade Corporation | Wafer alignment station |
US4466073A (en) | 1982-04-26 | 1984-08-14 | The Perkin Elmer Corporation | Wafer prealigner using pulsed vacuum spinners |
US4449885A (en) | 1982-05-24 | 1984-05-22 | Varian Associates, Inc. | Wafer transfer system |
US4507078A (en) | 1983-03-28 | 1985-03-26 | Silicon Valley Group, Inc. | Wafer handling apparatus and method |
US4523985A (en) | 1983-12-22 | 1985-06-18 | Sputtered Films, Inc. | Wafer processing machine |
US4907035A (en) | 1984-03-30 | 1990-03-06 | The Perkin-Elmer Corporation | Universal edged-based wafer alignment apparatus |
US4635373A (en) | 1984-09-07 | 1987-01-13 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Wafer conveying apparatus with alignment mechanism |
US4698511A (en) | 1984-11-08 | 1987-10-06 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Document sheet size or position recognition device |
US4720635A (en) | 1984-12-17 | 1988-01-19 | Disco Abrasive Systems, Ltd. | Automatic accurate alignment system |
JPS61184842A (en) | 1985-02-13 | 1986-08-18 | Canon Inc | Device for positioning wafer |
JPS61228639A (en) | 1985-04-03 | 1986-10-11 | Canon Inc | Wafer processing apparatus |
US4818169A (en) | 1985-05-17 | 1989-04-04 | Schram Richard R | Automated wafer inspection system |
US4789294A (en) | 1985-08-30 | 1988-12-06 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Wafer handling apparatus and method |
JPS6273643A (en) | 1985-09-26 | 1987-04-04 | Ando Electric Co Ltd | Mechanism for aligning wafer on moving table |
JPS6187352A (en) | 1985-09-27 | 1986-05-02 | Hitachi Ltd | Positioning device for orientation flat |
US5162642A (en) | 1985-11-18 | 1992-11-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Device for detecting the position of a surface |
US4765793A (en) | 1986-02-03 | 1988-08-23 | Proconics International, Inc. | Apparatus for aligning circular objects |
US4705951A (en) | 1986-04-17 | 1987-11-10 | Varian Associates, Inc. | Wafer processing system |
US4770590A (en) | 1986-05-16 | 1988-09-13 | Silicon Valley Group, Inc. | Method and apparatus for transferring wafers between cassettes and a boat |
US4744713A (en) | 1986-05-21 | 1988-05-17 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Misalignment sensor for a wafer feeder assembly |
EP0282233A1 (en) | 1987-03-07 | 1988-09-14 | Britax Limited | Hydraulic manual control unit |
US4819167A (en) | 1987-04-20 | 1989-04-04 | Applied Materials, Inc. | System and method for detecting the center of an integrated circuit wafer |
US4833790A (en) | 1987-05-11 | 1989-05-30 | Lam Research | Method and system for locating and positioning circular workpieces |
US4880348A (en) | 1987-05-15 | 1989-11-14 | Roboptek, Inc. | Wafer centration device |
EP0313466A2 (en) | 1987-10-20 | 1989-04-26 | Fujitsu Limited | Wafer positioning apparatus |
US4838733A (en) | 1988-12-05 | 1989-06-13 | Katz Albert A | Landfill compaction |
US5044752A (en) | 1989-06-30 | 1991-09-03 | General Signal Corporation | Apparatus and process for positioning wafers in receiving devices |
US5194743A (en) | 1990-04-06 | 1993-03-16 | Nikon Corporation | Device for positioning circular semiconductor wafers |
US5239182A (en) | 1991-04-19 | 1993-08-24 | Tokyo Electron Saga Kabushiki Kaisha | Wafer conveyor apparatus and method for detecting inclination of wafer inside cassette |
EP0597637A1 (en) | 1992-11-12 | 1994-05-18 | Applied Materials, Inc. | System and method for automated positioning of a substrate in a processing chamber |
US5483138A (en) | 1992-11-12 | 1996-01-09 | Applied Materials, Inc. | System and method for automated positioning of a substrate in a processing chamber |
US5900737A (en) | 1993-09-15 | 1999-05-04 | Intest Corporation | Method and apparatus for automated docking of a test head to a device handler |
US5740062A (en) | 1994-04-05 | 1998-04-14 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Wafer positioning system |
US5563798A (en) | 1994-04-05 | 1996-10-08 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Wafer positioning system |
US5706930A (en) | 1995-04-24 | 1998-01-13 | Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. | Method of and apparatus for transferring circular object |
US5768125A (en) | 1995-12-08 | 1998-06-16 | Asm International N.V. | Apparatus for transferring a substantially circular article |
US5822213A (en) | 1996-03-29 | 1998-10-13 | Lam Research Corporation | Method and apparatus for determining the center and orientation of a wafer-like object |
US5706201A (en) | 1996-05-07 | 1998-01-06 | Fortrend Engineering Corporation | Software to determine the position of the center of a wafer |
US5870488A (en) | 1996-05-07 | 1999-02-09 | Fortrend Engineering Corporation | Method and apparatus for prealigning wafers in a wafer sorting system |
US5905850A (en) | 1996-06-28 | 1999-05-18 | Lam Research Corporation | Method and apparatus for positioning substrates |
US5980194A (en) | 1996-07-15 | 1999-11-09 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Wafer position error detection and correction system |
US5917601A (en) | 1996-12-02 | 1999-06-29 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho | Position difference detecting device and method thereof |
US6198976B1 (en) | 1998-03-04 | 2001-03-06 | Applied Materials, Inc. | On the fly center-finding during substrate handling in a processing system |
WO1999052686A1 (en) | 1998-04-16 | 1999-10-21 | Genmark Automation, Inc. | Substrate prealigner |
JPH11347975A (en) | 1998-06-05 | 1999-12-21 | Systemseiko Co Ltd | Method and device for automatic teaching |
US6690986B1 (en) * | 1999-04-19 | 2004-02-10 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Method of detecting the position of a wafer |
US6502054B1 (en) * | 1999-11-22 | 2002-12-31 | Lam Research Corporation | Method of and apparatus for dynamic alignment of substrates |
US6327517B1 (en) | 2000-07-27 | 2001-12-04 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Apparatus for on-the-fly center finding and notch aligning for wafer handling robots |
Non-Patent Citations (11)
Title |
---|
ASM Europe, (Advance 400 Course Module 19), Rev. C, (Jun. 1999). |
Brooks Automation, (Wafer Handling Robot), Solid State Technology, vol. 28, No. 1, (Jan. 1985), p. 74. |
GCA Corporation, (Wafertrac1006 Advertisement), Solid State Technology, vol. 28, No. 1, (Jan. 1985), p. 3. |
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Automatic Mask/Wafer Alignment System," (Sep. 1985), vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 1474-1479. |
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Front Wafer Registration Device for Batch Process Etch End-Pint Detection System," (Oct. 1977), vol. 20, No. 5, pp. 1756-1759. |
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "No-Edge Contact Wafer Orientor," (Jan. 1975) , vol. 17, No. 8, pp. 2220-2221. |
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Vacuum-Compatible Low Contamination Wafer-Orientor System," (Feb. 1986), vol. 28, No. 9, pp. 4056-4058. |
Keyence Corporation Brochure, "Laser Thrubeam Photoelectric Sensors LX2 Series," (date unknown). |
Kimiyoshi Deguchi et al., " Alignment Accuracy Evaluation of X-Ray Lithography System SR-1," Journal of the Japan Society of Precision Engineering, (1985), vol. 51, No. 5, pp. 156-162. |
Kurt Petersen et al., "High-Performance Mass-Flow Sensor with Integrated Laminar Flow Micro-Channels," International Conference on Solid State Sensors and Actuators-Digest of Technical Papers (1985), pp. 361-363. |
Zbigniew M. Wojcik, "A Method of Automatic Centering of Chips, Masks and Semiconductor Wafers," Electron Technology, (1977), vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 79-96. |
Cited By (48)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040258514A1 (en) * | 2002-06-12 | 2004-12-23 | Ivo Raaijmakers | Semiconductor wafer position shift measurement and correction |
US7248931B2 (en) * | 2002-06-12 | 2007-07-24 | Asm America, Inc. | Semiconductor wafer position shift measurement and correction |
US20040168633A1 (en) * | 2003-02-27 | 2004-09-02 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method |
US20050246915A1 (en) * | 2004-05-05 | 2005-11-10 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Method for calibrating alignment mark positions on substrates |
US7089677B2 (en) * | 2004-05-05 | 2006-08-15 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Method for calibrating alignment mark positions on substrates |
US20080289574A1 (en) * | 2007-05-24 | 2008-11-27 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US7874726B2 (en) | 2007-05-24 | 2011-01-25 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20080319559A1 (en) * | 2007-06-22 | 2008-12-25 | De Ridder Christianus Gerardus | Apparatus and method for transferring two or more wafers whereby the positions of the wafers can be measured |
US8099190B2 (en) * | 2007-06-22 | 2012-01-17 | Asm International N.V. | Apparatus and method for transferring two or more wafers whereby the positions of the wafers can be measured |
US8180594B2 (en) | 2007-09-06 | 2012-05-15 | Asm International, N.V. | System and method for automated customizable error diagnostics |
US20090070634A1 (en) * | 2007-09-06 | 2009-03-12 | Asm International N.V. | System and method for automated customizable error diagnostics |
US20090093906A1 (en) * | 2007-10-04 | 2009-04-09 | Asm Japan K.K. | Position sensor system for substrate transfer robot |
US8041450B2 (en) * | 2007-10-04 | 2011-10-18 | Asm Japan K.K. | Position sensor system for substrate transfer robot |
US20090155452A1 (en) * | 2007-12-13 | 2009-06-18 | Asm Genitech Korea Ltd. | Thin film deposition apparatus and method thereof |
US8347813B2 (en) | 2007-12-13 | 2013-01-08 | Asm Genitech Korea Ltd. | Thin film deposition apparatus and method thereof |
US7993057B2 (en) | 2007-12-20 | 2011-08-09 | Asm America, Inc. | Redundant temperature sensor for semiconductor processing chambers |
US20090159000A1 (en) * | 2007-12-20 | 2009-06-25 | Asm America, Inc. | Redundant temperature sensor for semiconductor processing chambers |
US20090217871A1 (en) * | 2008-02-28 | 2009-09-03 | Asm Genitech Korea Ltd. | Thin film deposition apparatus and method of maintaining the same |
US8273178B2 (en) | 2008-02-28 | 2012-09-25 | Asm Genitech Korea Ltd. | Thin film deposition apparatus and method of maintaining the same |
US7963736B2 (en) | 2008-04-03 | 2011-06-21 | Asm Japan K.K. | Wafer processing apparatus with wafer alignment device |
US20090252580A1 (en) * | 2008-04-03 | 2009-10-08 | Asm Japan K.K. | Wafer processing apparatus with wafer alignment device |
US7946762B2 (en) | 2008-06-17 | 2011-05-24 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20090308425A1 (en) * | 2008-06-17 | 2009-12-17 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US8616765B2 (en) | 2008-12-08 | 2013-12-31 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20100145547A1 (en) * | 2008-12-08 | 2010-06-10 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US8262287B2 (en) | 2008-12-08 | 2012-09-11 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US8666551B2 (en) | 2008-12-22 | 2014-03-04 | Asm Japan K.K. | Semiconductor-processing apparatus equipped with robot diagnostic module |
US20100158644A1 (en) * | 2008-12-22 | 2010-06-24 | Asm Japan K.K. | Semiconductor-processing apparatus equipped with robot diagnostic module |
US8100583B2 (en) | 2009-05-06 | 2012-01-24 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US9267850B2 (en) | 2009-05-06 | 2016-02-23 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple assembly with guarded thermocouple junction |
US20100284438A1 (en) * | 2009-05-06 | 2010-11-11 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple |
US20100282163A1 (en) * | 2009-05-06 | 2010-11-11 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple assembly with guarded thermocouple junction |
US9297705B2 (en) | 2009-05-06 | 2016-03-29 | Asm America, Inc. | Smart temperature measuring device |
US8382370B2 (en) | 2009-05-06 | 2013-02-26 | Asm America, Inc. | Thermocouple assembly with guarded thermocouple junction |
US20130141711A1 (en) * | 2011-12-02 | 2013-06-06 | K-Space Associates, Inc. | Non-contact, optical sensor for synchronizing to free rotating sample platens with asymmetry |
US9030652B2 (en) * | 2011-12-02 | 2015-05-12 | K-Space Associates, Inc. | Non-contact, optical sensor for synchronizing to free rotating sample platens with asymmetry |
USD702188S1 (en) | 2013-03-08 | 2014-04-08 | Asm Ip Holding B.V. | Thermocouple |
US9196518B1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2015-11-24 | Persimmon Technologies, Corp. | Adaptive placement system and method |
US9195226B2 (en) * | 2013-04-05 | 2015-11-24 | Sigenic Pte Ltd | Apparatus and method for detecting position drift in a machine operation using a robot arm |
US20140303776A1 (en) * | 2013-04-05 | 2014-10-09 | Sigenic Pte Ltd | Apparatus And Method For Detecting Position Drift In A Machine Operation Using A Robot Arm |
US10002781B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2018-06-19 | Brooks Automation, Inc. | Tool auto-teach method and apparatus |
US10381252B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2019-08-13 | Brooks Automation, Inc. | Tool auto-teach method and apparatus |
US10770325B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2020-09-08 | Brooks Automation, Inc | Tool auto-teach method and apparatus |
US11469126B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2022-10-11 | Brooks Automation Us, Llc | Tool auto-teach method and apparatus |
US11908721B2 (en) | 2014-11-10 | 2024-02-20 | Brooks Automation Us, Llc | Tool auto-teach method and apparatus |
US10058996B2 (en) | 2014-11-18 | 2018-08-28 | Persimmon Technologies Corporation | Robot adaptive placement system with end-effector position estimation |
WO2020096864A1 (en) * | 2018-11-05 | 2020-05-14 | Lam Research Corporation | Enhanced automatic wafer centering system and techniques for same |
US11581214B2 (en) | 2018-11-05 | 2023-02-14 | Lam Research Corporation | Enhanced automatic wafer centering system and techniques for same |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2002097869A2 (en) | 2002-12-05 |
WO2002097869A3 (en) | 2003-09-12 |
AU2002303885A1 (en) | 2002-12-09 |
TW564511B (en) | 2003-12-01 |
US20040151574A1 (en) | 2004-08-05 |
WO2002097869A8 (en) | 2004-03-11 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US7008802B2 (en) | Method and apparatus to correct water drift | |
JP6918770B2 (en) | On-the-fly automatic wafer centering method and equipment | |
US7248931B2 (en) | Semiconductor wafer position shift measurement and correction | |
US11908721B2 (en) | Tool auto-teach method and apparatus | |
US6990430B2 (en) | System and method for on-the-fly eccentricity recognition | |
EP1062687B1 (en) | On the fly center-finding during substrate handling in a processing system | |
US20070071581A1 (en) | Process apparatus with on-the-fly workpiece centering | |
KR101666613B1 (en) | Wafer processing apparatus with wafer alignment device | |
US6195619B1 (en) | System for aligning rectangular wafers | |
US5535306A (en) | Self-calibration system for robot mechanisms | |
US6760976B1 (en) | Method for active wafer centering using a single sensor | |
KR20010015226A (en) | Detection system for substrate clamp | |
US7596425B2 (en) | Substrate detecting apparatus and method, substrate transporting apparatus and method, and substrate processing apparatus and method | |
CN108027718B (en) | Method and apparatus for automatic wafer centering during transport | |
US11626305B2 (en) | Sensor-based correction of robot-held object | |
EP0996963A1 (en) | Multiple point position scanning system | |
JP2008260599A (en) | Method for adjusting conveying face of semiconductor wafer conveying system, semiconductor wafer conveying system using it, and semiconductor manufacturing device | |
WO2023069463A1 (en) | Adaptive positioning systems and routines using an autocalibration wafer and a calibration wafer with cutouts |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ASM AMERICA, INC., ARIZONA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:LU, ZHIMIN;REEL/FRAME:012390/0536 Effective date: 20010802 |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
CC | Certificate of correction | ||
CC | Certificate of correction | ||
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
SULP | Surcharge for late payment | ||
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
MAFP | Maintenance fee payment |
Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 12TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1553) Year of fee payment: 12 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ASM IP HOLDING B.V., NETHERLANDS Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ASM AMERICA, INC.;REEL/FRAME:056465/0280 Effective date: 20201215 |